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Worldwide: Tell the Vatican to stand up for women

The Call to Accountability Campaign is an international campaign supported by over 300 international religious,
women's rights and human rights groups whose goal is to raise public awareness about sexual violence against women in the Catholic church and hold accountable the individual and institutional leadership involved or complicit in this
problem.

As you may be aware, recent reports published by the
National Catholic Reporter revealed harrowing documentation of the sexual
harassment, exploitation and even rape of Roman Catholic nuns by priests in 23
countries. These reports are yet another stark example of the global problem of
violence against women that is the daily reality of millions of women of all
ages, classes, races and religions.

Church authorities were formally and
fully briefed on these abuses in 1995 and up to now have taken no public action
to end the abuse. Vatican secrecy and inaction has only contributed to the
humiliation and even deaths of women whose human rights have been violated by
Catholic priests.

Over 50 religious, women's rights and
human rights groups- from the National Coalition of American Nuns to the
Feminist Majority Foundation to BAOBAB for Women's Human Rights, Nigeria-have
issued "The Call to Accountability Campaign" to raise public awareness about
sexual violence against women in the Catholic church and to hold accountable the
individuals and institutional leadership involved or complicit in this
problem.

For more information on the campaign, including links to the
original reports published by the National Catholic Reporter, as well as
government and organizational position statements on the abuse of nuns by
Catholic priests and further action steps on how you can take a stand for women,
log on to www.catholicsforchoice.org/international/alert.htm

Please share this information with your friends and
colleagues. Help us end sexual violence against women-in religious life and in
the world community!